Events of the Week

Just because it’s summer and Brooklyn’s Jewish neighborhoods’ street are half empty doesn’t mean that New York has become a ghost town. Kosher events abound and our favorites for this coming week are:

Monday, July 18th at 7:00pm (Eastern Time)

Lévana’s Moroccan Feast Part 2: Salad Buffet

Please make certain to register to the demo, as the venue has moved to my apartment!

We grew up eating no end of salads at almost every meal: Is it any wonder we loved our veggies and ate them without any prompting? I am even including a dessert salad. True to form, we will bake an authentic Moroccan bread to go with the feast so we don’t leave a drop of sauce behind (this bread is the only item on the menu that will not be gluten-free).

I’ll be demonstrating:

• Matbookha
• Grated carrot salad
• Roasted pepper salad
• Spicy lettuce and chick pea salad with salmon
• Tomato salad
• Eggplant salad
• Minted orange, endive and romaine salad
• Moroccan Bread

Click Here to Register!

Registrations: A gentle reminder – Please register at least two days before any cooking class demo so A) We know for sure we have a demo going, and B) We have ample servings!

P.S. Throw in a C) – It makes my life easier 🙂 P.P.S. Throw in a D) I’ll give you a free signed copy of my new cookbook if you bring a new friend!

Also starting tomorrow you can take advantage of a great, reasonably priced menu at 18 Restaurant:

240 East 81st Street, New York – (212) 517-2400

THE KOSHER SCENE SPECIAL DINNER PRIX FIXE MENU

$32.00 per person, tax and gratuities not included. All wine, beer and alcohol billed separately.
Any item ordered, not on the Prefix will be billed separately

May not be used in conjunction with ANY other special

APPETIZER

Combination Platters:

Humus, Babaganuosh, Turkish Salad, Tahini

Mixed Green Salads

Assorted Breads

Photo by: seamlessweb.com

ENTREE

Eighteen Mixed Grill Kebob Special Combo Platter:

Chicken

Beef

Side Dishes: Choice of 2

grilled vegetables

french fries

mashed potatoes

basmati rice

DESSERT

Coffee/tea

Assorted Rugelach or Slice of Cake

Cold beverage (non alcohol) included

The food’s delicious, the price is very reasonable, the portions are generous, the ambiance is elegantly casual, a perfect eatery to take your wife, your date or the family. Go ahead, treat yourself! All of you deserve it. (For this Prix Fixe, please print out the following  .pdf)

18 Restaurant
240 East 81st. Street (map)
New York, NY
Telephone 212.517.2400
www.eighteenrestaurant.com

CS

JICNY – 7th Annual Gala

You just moved to New York, whether in hopes of finding a job – or because you were offered a job, but you lack the resources to find activities, to mingle with other Jews of similar interests and circumstances. What to do, what to do? I remember when I first moved to New York City, though I had a few friends living here already, there was nothing like this available. That vacuum, however, has now been filled…

Last evening, I  attended JICNY‘s 7th Annual Gala, celebrating the first decade of this organization. We spoke to the founders, members of the Board of Trustees, teachers, and regular members. Tomorrow evening May 23rd we will broadcast the pre-taped interviews on BlogTalk Radio.com/Kosherscene at 7:30pm. (Eastern Time).

Jody Samuels, the main driving force of JICNY, mingling among the members.

What impressed me the most, after interviewing quite a few people, was the tremendous dedication of the three founding members (Jodi Samuels – of Metroimma and Jdeal, Gavin Samuels – Jodi‘s husband, Steven Eisenberg), the dedication of the Board of Trustees under the Chairmanship of Jeff Stier. What’s amazing is that in spite of the time involved EVERYONE is a volunteer!

As you will hear tomorrow evening at 7:30pm (Eastern Time) the members we spoke to (hailing from many corners of the world), were enthusiastic about JICNY, many either met through this organization, got interested in yiddishkeit through JICNY, or were able to define and discover themselves specifically because of the activities which they directed or participated in.

Gavin Stone, one of the Honorees, and his fiance (whom he met through JICNY)

The evening’s honorees were: Blossom and Ilan Cohen (Couple of the Year Award), Ruth and Sivan Katz (Leadership Award), Gavin Stone (Dedication to Jewish Life Award).

Among the many activities JICNY organizes are weekly Monday eve shiurim on Torah (in 5 languages), cooking demos featuring various international cuisines, job listings, Shabbat and yom tovim hospitality, and many more. With over 10,000 members in their database, seventy four marriages came about as a direct result of the couples meeting through the organization and a few more happening over the coming months; over 10,000 members were hosted for Shabbatot (with indefatigable Jody holding the record for thousands benefiting from her open home, her open heart). I wish there had been a JICNY when I first came to these shores from Montevideo, Uruguay.

CS

This Week’s Events

Lévana Kirschenbaum’s Dinner and a Show

Monday, March 28th
MOROCCAN STREET FOODS
This is as plebeian as our glorious Moroccan food gets, and even then it’s a complete feast, as always! Gluten-free to boot!

• Chick pea soup
• Chakshuka on white beans
• Schwarma
• Carrot Swiss chard salad
• Toasted vermicelli with olive oil, almonds and honey

The Cooking Demo runs from 7:00 to 9:00 followed by dinner, classes cost $45.00 for one session, $120.00 for 3 sessions or $200.00 for 5 sessions and a signed cookbook. Make your reservations at: http://www.levanacooks.com/kosher-cooking-classes/weekly-classes/

Location: Levana’s home – 210 West 101st Street. #9L (Between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway)

Chef David Kolotkin at De Gustibus

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 | 1 – 3:30 PM
Join The Prime Grill’s David Kolotkin as this charming chef guides us through kosher cooking. The Prime Grill, which serves New American cuisine with accents from Asia, the Mediterranean and beyond, is one of the most sophisticated kosher restaurants in the City. With David’s guidance, you will create an interesting and dynamic feast of contemporary kosher fare.

Location
Venue: De Gustibus Cooking School
Homepage:  http://www.degustibusnyc.com
Street: 151 West 34th Street, 8th Floor
ZIP: 10001
City: New York

The cooking school is located on the 8th floor of Macy’s Herald Square on the 7th Avenue side of the building. You can enter the store at 151 West 34th Street and take the passenger elevators to the 8th floor, De Gustibus is located between the coat/bathing suit department and Human Resources in the employee section of the store.

Call 212-239-1652 or e-mail them at info@degustibusnyc.com for more information.

Both are great culinary experiences. We hope to see you at both events, gentle reader.

CS

This Week’s Events

This is a great week! If you like food, if you like wine these events are tailor made for you:

Tuesday, February 22nd

Kosher Food & Wine Experience 2011

Tomorrow’s the event of the year!

As always, the star of the show is the food and wine on offer. This year over 300 wines from all over the world will be available from wineries including Herzog, Yatir, Castel, Capcanes, Elvi, Goose Bay and more! In addition, Royal Wine will be launching some new wines at KFWE2011 including the Herzog Special Edition Chalk Hill Warnecke Vineyard 2008, the Oak Knoll Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and a new line of Gamla Reserves. Additionally, the wines of Alexander Winery in Israel will be making their debut in the United States market.

Guests will also be able to taste delicious food from some of the top rated kosher restaurants and caterers in the Tri-State area. “This is an opportunity to try some exceptional wines and great food, we don’t hold anything back,” said Mr. Landsman, “KFWE is our gift to our customers. We want to give people a chance to try the wines they are hesitant to buy, the special occasion wines they read about or see in the store.” Another benefit of this event is its proximity to Passover, giving people the opportunity to trywines that they would like to feature at their Seders.

A notable addition to the event this year will be the attendance of celebrity cookbook authors/food personalities Joan Nathan, Jamie Geller, Suzy Fishbein, Lévana Kirschenbaum and Jeff Nathan who will all be available to discuss food and wine pairing and their newest books.

KFWE 2011 will take place on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 6:30pm at Pier 60 – Chelsea Piers, NYC. For more information on the 2011 Kosher Food & Wine Experience or to order tickets, please visit: http://www.kfwe2011.com .

Don’t forget to enter KSCENE10, as your discount code, when you buy your ticket(s).

Wednesday, February 23rd

Israel Wine Lovers featuring: Barkan Winery

9 Interesting Wines, 2 Great Winemakers and 1 Amazing Evening with Barkan Winery

Nanoosh Hummus Bar

Who’s hosting? Avi Ashman, Raphael Sutton
Price: $36.00 per person
Where? Nanoosh Hummus Bar
171 Madison Avenue New York, NY
When? 7:00pm

Barkan, with vineyards all across Israel, is the second largest winery in the country.  The winemaking team’s quest to produce a variety of quality wines results in Barkan making all of the right moves (including large financial investments) to continue improvements in their vineyards and in the winery. You can always count on Barkan, and it’s Boutique winery Segal, to release quite a few interesting wines.

We are honored that Irit Boxer and Yotam Sharon, two of Barkan’s winemakers, will be with us and present a selected wine list that demonstrates the great quality of their craftsmanship.  This tasting is a MUST and we promise a fun night!!  Where else can you taste two styles of Pinotage (never tasted that grape yet? you have to…) and the effect of 100 meter (300 feet) height difference on Cabernet Sauvignon’s flavor?  Other great wines will be explored as well…

All wines and foods, during the tasting, are Kosher.

Israel Wine Lovers meets at the back of Nanoosh and brings their own food, their own wines, since Nanoosh is not under ANY kosher supervision!!!

CS

Events of the Week

There are a couple of interesting events going on this week and we urge everyone to attend

Monday, February 14th

Lévana’s Dinner an a Show

This week it will be held in Lévana’s house at: 210 West 101st Street, Apartment 9L (in Manhattan, between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway). The subject of tonight’s class will be: THE STUDENT’S – AND EVERYONE’S – SURVIVAL GUIDE. She will demonstrate the following:

• Assorted smoothies
• Assorted omelets
• Grilled cheese sandwiches
• Steel-cut oats with assorted toppings
• Crepes with assorted toppings

The Demo runs from 7:00 to 9:00 followed by dinner, classes cost $45.00 for one session, $120.00 for 3 sessions or $200.00 for 5 sessions and a signed cookbook. Make your reservations at: http://www.levanacooks.com/kosher-cooking-classes/weekly-classes/

Thursday, February 17th

Liquors Galore Purim Kuten Extravaganza

Liquors Galore (1212 Avenue J; Brooklyn, NY 11230-3702; Telephone: 718.338.4166) will present and evening of food and wine, entertainment and Zev Brenner’s Show Live. It will start at 6:30pm and will continue until 11:00pm

Enjoy the wines, enjoy the food, enjoy the entertainment, all for one low price… FREE!!! Try beating that value!

Enjoy this week’s events, gentle reader, enjoy.

CS

Our Guest This Week Will Be…

Last week we presented Jay Buchsbaum the Executive VP of the Royal Wine Co., as our interviewee. You can hear Jay and his encyclopedic knowledge of all things wine, here

This coming Wednesday, at 8:00pm, our guest will be Chef Lévana Kirschenbaum, the regulars of this blog know how much we enjoy her cooking demos, how much we enjoy her recipes. Mrs. Kirschenbaum has written three cookbooks Lévana’s Table, In Short Order and Lévana Cooks Dairy-Free!. She’s now hard at work on her fourth cookbook on Superfoods, due out this coming summer.

Who is Lévana? What are her credentials? Most of you may remember her ground breaking restaurant Lévana’s, but there is far more as we are told on her website:

For nearly thirty years Lévana Kirschenbaum has owned and operated a catering business, a bakery and a successful Manhattan restaurant all while raising a family. She understands that even gourmet chefs don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen. With this in mind, she keeps the recipes simple, insisting that using fresh, natural ingredients will yield fantastic results without a lot of fuss.

When Lévana opened her eponymous restaurant with her two brothers-in-law twenty five years ago, all Kirschenbaums were perfectly aware they were facing a hard sell: introduce fine kosher dining to the Kosher public, who until then was content either eating at home or grabbing a bite in the rare joints that served institutional old world treats. The general prediction was that the presumptuous idea would fall flat on its face.

Undaunted by being the trailblazers of the trend, they surrounded themselves with the best chefs, developed the most delicious dishes and waited patiently until the idea of gourmet kosher caught on. The rest, as we all know, is history: kosher food and wine has experienced a veritable explosion and has its place among the most prestigious competitions. Many luxury kosher restaurants have opened and thrived since Lévana’s pioneering days, bearing out the dictum that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

With over 25 years of experience in professional cooking, recipe development, catering and teaching, celebrity chef Lévana makes the preparation of nutritious and exotic gourmet cuisine easy. She gets countless devoted fans for her fearless, practical and nutritious approach to cooking and spreads the good word on simple, streamlined, elegant and wholesome dining in her classroom on the Upper West Side – where she gives weekly demos – and around the country.

What is her goal?

Fine dining that is also contemporary, nutritious and easy to prepare is a way of life that Lévana instills in her classes. Lévana’s unfussy, straightforward approach utilizes fresh, all natural ingredients to create international flavors from her native Morocco and other wide-ranging culinary influences.

I’ve known Lévana for a while now and I can assure you that the show will be truly informative and entertaining. Just listen in, gentle reader, at 8:00pm on Wednesday, February 2nd, on Jewish Radio Network. Enter the site and click on the red “here” under the white “Radio,” then wait about 30 to 90 seconds for the application to start streaming.

CS

Shabbat Comfort Food

Last Friday we posted Oyfn Pripetchik… – In the Fireplace… with an unusual but interesting kugel recipe. Today we follow up with a very easy recipe for a great Yerushami Kugel. Truth is, I’ve never been a fan of this type of kugel, the idea of sweet pasta just doesn’t do it for me, but, last Monday at Chef Lévana‘s cooking demo I tasted this and was forced to change my mind:

Yerushalmi Kugel

Ingredients

• 1 pound thin noodles, any noodles (gluten-free will work too!)
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper, or a little more to taste
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar or Sucanat
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1/2 cup water

An individual portion of Chef Lévanas' Yerushalmi Kugel

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Boil the noodles until just barely tender. If you started with long noodles, cut through the whole pile with scissors until you get smaller pieces.
3. Place in a mixing bowl, and mix in the oil, pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, and eggs. Combine thoroughly.
4. Meanwhile, heat the sugar, agave and water in a small saucepan.
5. Reduce the flame to low and cook about 5 minutes, until the mixture turns a nice amber color (watch the cooking, don’t let the mixture burn).
6. Immediately add to the noodle mixture and stir to combine.
7. Pour the mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan or a greased tube pan.
8. Bake about 1 hour, or a little longer, until the top looks set.

Delicious warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy, gentle reader, and have a gutten Shabbos, Shabbat shalom umevorach!

CS

Soups as Comfort Food – Part 3

There are myriad types of soups, while I never intended an exhaustive listing when we started this series, while I realize there are far more types than I’m ever likely to try, this series only deals with some of my favorites from among those I’ve tasted. In this, the final installment of the series we will again feature two soups.

We chose all these recipes both because of their taste and the ease of preparation.

Last evening, at a cooking demo by Chef Lévana Kirschenbaum, I tasted her incredibly flavorful and very simple to prepare…

Aduki Bean Burdock Soup

Ingredients

• 12 cups water
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground bay leaf
• 2 cups aduki beans
• Salt to taste
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut in large chunks
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut in large chunks
• 1 celery root, peeled and cut in large chunks
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and cut in large chunks
• 1 large zucchini, cut in large chunks
• 1 large red onion, quartered
• 1 large piece burdock, peeled and cut in large chunks

Directions

1. Bring all ingredients to boil in a wide heavy pot.
2. Reduce to medium and cook covered for 1 hour.
3. Cream the soup with an immersion blender.
4. Adjust texture and seasonings.

If you do not have, if you cannot find burdock, you can substitute almost anything else. In spite of her recipe calling for burdock, Lévana – just to demonstrate the versatility of her recipe – used kale stalk instead

If you are like me you probably never heard of burdock before…What is burdock? For its culinary and medicinal properties look it up in the Wikipedia. Meanwhile, as the article says:

the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy wrote in his journal, in 1896, about a tiny shoot of burdock he saw in a ploughed field, “black from dust but still alive and red in the center … It makes me want to write. It asserts life to the end, and alone in the midst of the whole field, somehow or other had asserted it.”

For another of Chef Lévana’s superb soup recipes check out Quick Black Bean Chocolate Soup

To end this series I chose to adapt an Emeril Lagasse variation of the classic French Onion Soup on the Food Network :

Gratinee Lyonnaise (Lyon-style Onion Soup)

[adapted to conform with kashrus]

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 pounds yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup cognac
• 8 cupspareve soup stock
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, tied into a bundle with kitchen string
• 1/2 loaf French bread, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 pound Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated
• 2 egg yolks (optional)
• 1/2 cup Port wine (optional)
• Finely chopped parsley, garnish

Directions

In a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the cognac. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the alcohol has evaporated. Be careful as the cognac may ignite.

Add the soup stock and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the soup for 45 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, toast the bread slices until light golden brown. Remove from the oven.

Preheat the broiler.

When the soup is ready, divide 1/2 of the toasted bread slices between 6 individual ovenproof serving bowls or crocks and top with 1/2 of the grated cheese. Ladle some of the soup among the bowls and top with the remaining toasts. Ladle the remaining soup among the bowls and top with the remaining cheese. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted, golden brown and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Optional topping:

In a small bowl combine the egg yolks and Port and whisk to thoroughly combine. Pour some of the mixture evenly among the soup bowls, stirring in around the edges so that it is incorporated into the soup. (The heat of the soup will cook the egg yolk and this will thicken and enrich the soup.)

Garnish the top with chopped parsley and serve hot.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Soups as Comfort Food – Part 2

Soups as Comfort Food

Kosher Cooking Demos at De Gustibus

L’CHAIM SERIES

Event title: DAVID KOLOTKIN – The Prime Restaurant Group

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 | 1 – 3:30 PM $95 per class

All food will be strictly kosher

DAVID KOLOTKIN, executive chef of The Prime Grill, imparts his cooking ideas to present a vibrant and informative take on tantalizing New American cuisine for the kosher home chef.

–)oOo(–

Event title: JOAN NATHAN – Cookbook Author

Thursday, November 11, 2010 | 1 – 3:30 PM $95 per class

All food will be strictly kosher

JOAN NATHAN, doyenne of Jewish American cooking, is the recipient of multiple James Beard Awards, a TV personality, and the author of 10 cookbooks, including Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France. Joan brings simple yet refined European flavors to the table, seasoned with a hint of the Mediterranean that is always in sync with the needs of the kosher gourmande.

–)oOo(–

Event title: SETH WARSHAW & SHLOMO BLASHKA – etc steakhouse

Monday, November 29, 2010 | 5:30 – 8:00 PM $95 per class

All food will be strictly kosher

SETH WARSHAW, executive chef of etc steakhouse in Teaneck, New Jersey, demonstrates an elegant kosher menu focused on the highest quality meats and satisfying seasonal ingredients.  SHLOMO BLASHKA, of Royal Wine Corporation, will pair the delectable dishes with an array of world-class kosher wines that are sure to please the most discerning palate.

–)oOo(–

Location

Venue : De Gustibus Cooking School
Homepage: http://www.degustibusnyc.com
Street: 151 West 34th Street, 8th Floor
ZIP: 10001
City: New York

Location description:

The cooking school is located on the 8th floor of Macy’s Herald Square on the 7th Avenue side of the building. You can enter the store at 151 West 34th Street and take the passenger elevators to the 8th floor and we are located between the coat / bathing suit department and human resources in the employee section of the store.

Please Click below to Register for this event:
REGISTER HERE

Cooking with Lévana – Part 5

It’s no secret to anyone who regularly peruses these pages (here, here, here, and here) that both SYR and I are enamored with Lévana’s cooking and teaching styles. Often defying the tried and true, she combines many an ingredient in ways that conventional wisdom might sometimes question but the results are always delicious! She does, time and again, prove that cooking for a crowd need not be a whole day affair, she invariably comes up with shortcuts that save hours of work, nerves and sweat.

This past Monday, after just over a month of being unable to do much, I found my way to Lévana’s Dinner and Show, this week. She covered Sephardi Finger Foods; the menu consisted of the following:

Lamb, Pine-Nut and Raisin Grape Leaves
Spicy Chicken Cigars
Mushroom Borekas
Fishballs in Lemon Sauce
Spicy Marinated Olives
Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini and Eggplant
Nut Truffles

"Let's start now, OK?"

It’s hard to choose just two of the recipes, but since this week we’ve been covering mushrooms we will include this one where she uses them:

Mushroom Borekas

Filling:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound mushrooms, chopped
¼ cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Good pinch nutmeg
½ teaspoon dry thyme or tarragon
2 pounds puff pastry sheets, kept chilled
1 egg, mixed with a little water

Preparing the filling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the mushrooms and sauté until all liquids evaporate. Add the remaining filling ingredients, and combine thoroughly. Cut the puff pastry to desired size. Place the filling in the center and close on all sides, pressing all around the sides with a fork. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Bake about 30 minutes, or a little longer, until golden brown and puffy. Serve hot.

Hot and delicious

Hot and delicious

The Spicy Marinated Olives were superb (and those who know me, know I’m no big fan of olives), with very subtle hints of anise. Unusual, delectable!  The Spicy Chicken Cigars were the best I’ve ever tasted; the Fishballs in Lemon Sauce, superbly delicious, didn’t taste fishy at all!

The Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini and Eggplant looked great and tasted supreme. The excellent Nut Truffles dessert, was just sweet enough without the sweetness drowning out any of the other flavors.

The pièce de résistance, for me, was the Lamb, Pine-Nut and Raisin Grape Leaves dish:

Lamb, Pine nut and Raisin Grape Leaves

Filling
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large cloves garlic1 large onion, quartered
1 small bunch flat parsley
¼ cup mint leaves, packed
1 pound ground lamb
1 large tomato, halved, seeded, and diced small
1/2 cup golden or black raisins
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (325 degree oven. 10-12 minutes)
Good pinch saffron
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pepper to taste
1 15 ounce jar grape leaves, separated and rinsed
1 cup pomegranate or cranberry juice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the oil in a skillet. In a food processor, finely grind the garlic. Add the onion, parsley and and mint, and grind coarsely. Add the ground mixture to the skillet, and saute until translucent. Add the lamb and tomato, and cook 2-3 more minutes. Add all remaining filling ingredients and mix thoroughly. Place a tablespoon stuffing at the bottom center of a leaf (smaller leaves: Make them overlap to get a larger more workable surface). Roll once, fold the sides towards to center, and roll all the way up. Place seam side down in a pan just large enough to fit the leaves snugly in one layer. Repeat with the remaining leaves and stuffing. Whisk the juice, tomato paste and oil in a little bowl, and pour evenly over the leaves. Bake about 40 minutes, until the juices are reduced and the leaves look nicely browned on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lamb and Pine-Nut Stuffed Grape Leaves - ready to be baked

All in all, it was a cooking demo and dinner to remember.

CS